5 Keys to Picking the Best Bible Translation For You

Because I love Bible translation, people often ask me: “What do you look for in a translation?”

This is a difficult question to answer because it’s such a personal thing. You can take the following 5 items with a grain of salt. But, deep down, you know I’m right!

1. Readability

By far, the most important factor in finding a translation is readability. This, after all, is why you’re looking for a translation in the first place, isn’t it? The vast majority of people can’t read the Bible in its original languages. Most people have difficulty understanding the King James Version. A translation written in contemporary vernacular with a contemporary phrasing works best for most people.

It is important to understand that every translation is going to water down the original. This is especially true when we start talking about “contemporary” language. Greek and Hebrew are ancient languages with grammatical systems quite different from modern English. The watering down that occurs from using plain-spoken normal English is necessary to make the text accessible to the masses.

2. Word-for-Word is a Must (Paraphrase and Perish)

This issue could be the topic of a series of posts. Do I go with a word-for-word translation, or a translation that paraphrases and gets the main idea across?

When we’re talking about God’s Word, why would you want it paraphrased? Wouldn’t you want to get the best idea possible of exactly what he is saying?

Paraphrase translations, like Eugene Peterson’s The Message can be interesting reads. However, I have trouble calling it the Bible. When we’re trying to dig into God’s word, we don’t typically reach for the “Bible Stories” picture books that we read as kids. The Message, like these picture books, is great for a getting a rough sketch of what the Bible has to say, but it is not good for digging in.

Notice that I am not knocking these translations completely. I think they’re great for reading the Gospels, or 1 and 2 Samuel. They’re great for reading stories. But, when we get into the nitty-gritty of Paul and other philosophical writings, we need to read the text for ourselves.

A word-for-word translation allows us the best access to the original without knowledge of the languages involved.

3. Who’s Translating This Thing?

Some translations are produced by a single-hand. These are to be avoided (even if it’s my translation!).

When we look at abstract paintings, we all kind of see what we want to see. We are influenced by the artist’s use of color and line, but, ultimately, the interpretation is ours.

When a translator translates, he/she is interpreting the biblical canvas. The words of the author move the translator in a certain direction, but, ultimately, the translator determines the interpretation.

If you choose a translation done by a single person, you are subjecting yourself to one interpretation of the text. Remember that in this scenario, you are an art critic who does not have access to the original. Would you rather have the reviews of one person or a group of people on which to base your opinion of the art?

Some committees are highly academic. The New Revised Standard Version, for example, is primarily composed by biblical scholars. Some committees are more confessional in their translation. I believe this is the case with the New International Version.

Other committees try to blend the two. This, I believe, is the case with the English Standard Version—a healthy compromise between academic rigor and faith in the text.

Finally, translations produced by individual denominations (or even groups that some would label “cults”) are to be avoided. Like the single-hand translations mentioned above, these tend to allow ideology to overrule prudent decision-making.

4. How is the Text Presented?

This delves more into the area of “picking a Bible” as the same translation can be presented in different ways. But, I’ll mention it here, because it’s important.

Do you like lots of study notes? Better be careful. I’ve gone through the NIV Study Bible and found plenty of stuff that I felt was misrepresenting the facts. Sometimes this stuff is really helpful, sometimes it’s misleading.

Do you like cross-references? I do, though my current Bible doesn’t have them. Cross-references are an excellent way to help you traverse the text. Like links on a website, they allow you to access information that would otherwise be difficult to find.

Do you like a concordance? Concordances found in the backs of most Bibles are incomplete and, therefore, useless. Just my opinion. Look for a complete concordance to fit your serious study needs.

Do you like maps? Abso-dang-lutely. Where the heck is “Ashdod”? Trusty maps in the back give you an answer. Maps have always helped me visualize the world. Maybe they can help you too!

5. Play the Field

It can’t hurt to try a bunch of different translations out. This can be done a number of different ways:

Borrow from a friend.

Borrow from a local library.

Uses sites like Bible Gateway and Unbound Bible to narrow down your selections.

Pew and Gift Bibles are inexpensive. If you really want to put a translation through it’s paces, buy a few and spend significant time with them.

Whatever translation you choose, remember to spend some good time using it before jumping ship. I have been devoted to the ESV for over a year now, and it’s style feels like an extension of me. When I pick up the text it is instantly familiar, allowing me to listen to what God is trying to tell me.

Happy hunting!

UPDATES:

BibleGateway.com has some information about each translation that it provides. Go to their versions page to find out more information about the publishers and histories of various translations.

Stephen at Withering Fig suggests five keys to picking a Bible translation.
He prefers more word-for-word translations, but he also makes the good point that a looser translation or paraphrase can help bring alive some parts of the Bible—especially t…

[…] be able to discern which Bible or Bibles are the best for you. To help get you started, check out five keys to picking the best Bible for you over at the Withering Fig blog. While those suggestions are geared for finding a good print Bible, […]

Thanks for posting this… very helpful. I have been looking for advice about this, and have been unable to find it from any of my Christian friends or acquaintances. (I think people just don’t know what to say when they are asked about it.) Thanks for suggesting ESV, as well.

[…] Marshall Hall the Christian Holy Bible AND True, non-Theoreticalhttp://loveforlife.com.au/node/34565 Keys to Picking the Best Bible Translation For You Withering FigDo you like cross-references? I do, though my current Bible doesn??t have them. … Withering Fig: […]

I like the unbias way you suggest points to be considered.
I found this website very helpful. Your transparency is refreshing and I was able to let my guard down in terms of believing you was giving genuine advice. Thank you!

First of all, I think a translation must be more or less in a contemporary language. KJV sounds nice, but may lead to lots of misinterpretations due to its ancient slang. Generally, the Catholic (all my respect for this Church) translations tend to be rigid, which may the reader miss the essence of the message. Probably the discussion is endless and everybody has his/her own opinion. Thanks for the article!

I am a former student of yours, and I appreciate and agree with all of your comments. I would not have expected you picking ESV over NRSV – those are the two I am really spending time thinking about picking. Thanks for putting this help on the net for so many.

I just wanted to comment on 1 verse ( there are hundreds!) that many bible translations ‘leave out’. It’s simple 3 words- without a cause. Referring to Mt 5:22 when Jesus is saying that if you are angry with your brother ( without a cause) you are subject to….
No this may seem unimportant BUT if those 3 words are left off, many new Christians may consider Jesus a ‘sinner’ because he got ‘angry’ with the merchants selling things in the temple. He got ‘angry at the Pharisees for their indignant nature when He healed a man’s hand on the Sabbath. Jesus had ’cause’ to be angry but translations like the: NIV, New Living Translation, NAS, ASV leave out those 3 very important words. There are 100’s of other verses left out when comparing these to the KJV. Yes…I too, have some trouble with the olde English but at least the scriptures are intact.

@LA Gordan —
The word εικη (“without cause”) is commonly believed to be an insertion by copyists. This is believed largely because it is more difficult to account for its insertion than for its deletion. It seems more likely that a copyist would want to put this word into the manuscript than remove it from the manuscript. In addition, there are some issues with the manuscripts in which it appears.

I tend to think that Jesus’ is coming down quite hard in the Sermon on the Mount, and this particularly stringent code makes sense.

Thank you for the information about which Bible to get. I have been Catholic since I was 2 years old and just learning about the Bible. Just wanted the Bible with the easiest modern reading and todays language to understand.

Thanks for this post! I am really trying to get as close as I can to the Lord because I have lived a blessed life despite the many sins God has forgiven me for. He has been absolutely wonderful and the least I can do is reward his forgiveness by becoming a better Christian and providing a role model for those around me. I definitely think a new Bible and a better understanding for myself will be productive as well!

I was of the opinion God left us a way to determine which Bible was the right one. It seems most people would agree that Daniel was a prophet. Daniel predicted the coming of Alexander the “Greek”. Alexander would conquer the world and force the world to speak Greek. This caused a need for a version to be written in Greek. The Jews, themselves, got six experts from each tribe to not only agree on the text, but books as well. This was given an interesting name, thinking along the lines of God-inspired, “The Septuagint”, the book of seventy (though there were actually 72). This was agreed on by the Jews and early (Jewish) Christians until the conflict between the two caused the Jews to drop anything that wasn’t originally in Hebrew out of their version. They even deleted books and verses from Daniel. How is it the least bit confusing which version is the right version? Any version missing entire books, and any “church” that doesn’t use a version with all the books, seems a bit heretical to me.

My questions are which of the translations of the Greek Septuagint is best in English? And how come the Roman Catholic Church doesn’t use it?

I have a few different english Bible translations. On the formal side I have the ESV, NASB, & NKJV. In the Middle (in my humble opinion), I have the NLT & the NIV. I decided to read the NT in it’s entirety everday until I finished. I had been reading my ESV almost exclusiviely until I got to Hebrews & for some reason I hit a wall. I’m a good reader & read frequently. I just wanted to skip the whole book, it was tough for me & I can’t explain why. I tried my NIV and it wasn’t much better ( I think NIV is closer to formal than dynamic equivalence). I bought a NLT and finished it. I don’t feel it was dumbed down, I just feel like I wasn’t tripping over everything and going back over verses repeatedly. It was not however easy, it still took me longer to get through Hebrews than any other book in the NT, aside from Revelations. I’m still baffled by that. Anyway, I say all that to say, unless the doctrine of a translation gets twisted…read the one one YOU WILL ACTUALLY READ & BE CONSISTENT. I have moved into the OT & decided to read Esther & Job; 1 & 2 Samuel; now I’m in 1Kings. I believe that is because of the NLT. I believe the NLT will also help me “grow” to read through one of the formal equivalence translations. I won’t be reading and thinking “what the heck does that mean?”
Also, I know this has been said, but they are all translations. Having a preference is one thing, but remember unless you are a student of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek…you have a translation before you. Just look at the word love…we only have one word in english. There are like 4 different words in Greek, for love…agape (GOD), eros (romance), storge (family), philea (friendship)….that should say a lot in and of itself when discussing Bible translation choice/selection/preference.

Why is your advice not sourced……from none other than the BIBLE? Is it not true that the Tetragrammaton was in the original text of the Hebrew Scriptures almost 7000 times? Why is God’s name not located throughout many of those Bibles? Who does it benefit by us not being able to KNOW exactly who our heavenly Father is?

Satan has STRONG influences, and man’s tradition has made the word of God invalid. Please, do not take MY word for it:

(Psalm 83:18) That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.

(Isaiah 12:4) And in that day YOU will certainly say: “Give thanks to Jehovah, YOU people! Call upon his name. Make known among the peoples his dealings. Make mention that his name is put on high.

(Isaiah 42:8) “I am Jehovah. That is my name; and to no one else shall I give my own glory, neither my praise to graven images.

(Joel 2:32) And it must occur that everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will prove to be the escaped ones, just as Jehovah has said, and in among the survivors, whom Jehovah is calling.”

(Acts 2:21) And everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.”’

I could go on and on and….you get the point. There are SO many Scriptures that Jehovah God is BEGGING us to call upon HIS name, but if we read Bible translations that have removed it, how can we?

(Romans 10:13-15) For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” 14 However, how will they call on him in whom they have not put faith? How, in turn, will they put faith in him of whom they have not heard? How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach? 15 How, in turn, will they preach unless they have been sent forth? Just as it is written: “How comely are the feet of those who declare good news of good things!”

@Franklin — Just a note to mention that the tetragrammaton is visible in most English translations of the Bible. In the Old Testament, where YHWH appears, you usually see the word “GOD” in capital letters (a capital initial and then small caps for the following letters).

Personally, I’d be fine with a translation that used “Yahweh” rather than “GOD.”

Sir: great article and good advice. It is nice to know that the ESV is a literal translation; glad I have a copy in my library. For ease of use I read the NLT, but right now I am comparing with what I read to the KJV. As a philosophy graduate I am interested in the other interpretations to gain insight from various perspectives. That is why I have several Bibles. I truly find it an adventure studying Gods Word.

In its review of Bible translations released from 1955 to 1985, The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary listed the New World Translation as one of the major modern translations.[44]

A 2003 study by Jason BeDuhn, associate professor of religious studies at Northern Arizona University in the United States, of nine of “the Bibles most widely in use in the English-speaking world,” including the New American Bible, The King James Bible and The New International Version, examined several passages that are considered controversial, where “bias is most likely to interfere with translation”. For each passage, he compared the Greek text with the renderings of each English translation, and looked for biased attempts to change the meaning. BeDuhn reported that the New World Translation was “not bias free”, but emerged “as the most accurate of the translations compared”, and thus a “remarkably good translation”, adding that “most of the differences are due to the greater accuracy of the NW as a literal, conservative translation”. BeDuhn said the introduction of the name “Jehovah” into the New Testament 237 times was “not accurate translation by the most basic principle of accuracy”, and that it “violate[s] accuracy in favor of denominationally preferred expressions for God”, adding that for the NWT to gain wider acceptance and prove its worth its translators might have to abandon the use of “Jehovah” in the New Testament.[45]

The New Catholic Encyclopedia says of the NWT reference edition: “[Jehovah’s Witnesses’] translation of the Bible [has] an impressive critical apparatus. The work is excellent except when scientific knowledge comes into conflict with the accepted doctrines of the movement.” It criticizes the NWT’s rendering of Kyrios as “Jehovah” in 237 instances in the New Testament, the rendering “means” instead of “is” in Matthew 26:26, and the insertion of “other” at Colossians 1:16-17.[46]

@ Stephen–Thank you for your article. I am a student of Biblical languages and I enjoy comparing “modern” translations against the original languages (I know–such a nerd, but I don’t care :) ). Until I read your article, I had not considered the ESV, but now that I have read through it a bit on a few websites, I REALLY like it! Great balance of “form and function,” as I like to call it. I suppose no translation is bias free, but so far I’m very pleased with the ESV. Thanks for the suggestion!

Thanks for this wonderful advice and your tips. I have been using the ESV for several years and I find it to be correct and a good read. I also rely on The Expositor’s Study Bible for clarification on difficult passages. I also make use of the Amplified Bible to gain greater understanding. I absolutely agree with referencing several reliable translations from the Greek and Hebrew….not any one mans opinión or biased interpretation. I also firmly believe that any Church that teaches and preaches “tradition” as equal or above the Pure inspired Word word of God is Satan partner in deception. So be aware of what you accept as truth.

Thanks for this wonderful advice and your tips. I have been using the ESV for several years and I find it to be correct and a good read. I also rely on The Expositor’s Study Bible for clarification on difficult passages. I also make use of the Amplified Bible to gain greater understanding. I absolutely agree with referencing several reliable translations from the Greek and Hebrew….not any one mans opinión or biased interpretation. I also firmly believe that any Church that teaches and preaches “tradition” as equal or above the Pure inspired Word of God is Satans partner in deception. So be aware of what you accept as truth.

Dear brother,
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
I have been going through the studies at your web site, and I am deeply inspired with all of the teachings and studies thereon. This is such a wonderful studies and sermons you have arranged for all the nations, in the long run of your service for the nations of the all the world.
I am from Islamic Republic of Pakistan where it is difficult to have Radio and TV channel for preaching purposes. They would not allow us to do that here; the Satan has real strong hold over everything. I often say that we are living in the land of the enemy.
Brother, we humbly request you to expand your outreach your program in Urdu Saraiki and Punjabi language. Urdu is the language spoken and understood by more than one sixth of the total population of the world. Urdu is spoken in Pakistan , India , Nepal , Afghanistan and also in Indonesia , Malaysia , Iran and others.
I would ask you to pray and share it among the brethrens at your ministry. I am a professional translator. I would offer my services for being translator, recorder and distribution/sales. I pray that your consideration will have His mark over your decision. As a translator I will take the expenses that will be spending just for the Word.
May God bless you abundantly! May His perfect will be done!
Grace and Peace be with you, all brethrens.
Yours brother in Christ,
Name = Moon Emmanuel
Address = Darshan abad Christian colony
Makhdum pur pahoran
Tesil & Ditt = khanewal
Punjab pakistana
Post code = 58170
Email address = sirit.trinity@yahoo.com

Dear Brethen,
It is nice and blessed to visit your website. I am Majida Saleem from Pakistan ( a christian believer). I do translation of Biblical documents and I request you to have the Urdu translation of whole of your material. I can translate it in low rates and can distribute in my local churches.
In Jesus
Majida

I used the NIV for years untill a few years back.
I wanted a more accurate translation.
Tried the amplified which i liked but then settled on the ESV. I have been using this now for 2 years.
Its a very good translation but i still revert back to the NIV on occasions simply becuase I am so familiar with it.

One more question: what are your thoughts on the revised NIV that came out this past year (2011)? All the Scripture I memorized was from the 1984 version. I haven’t personally seen the new version yet (aside from Bible Gateway). Just curious about your opinion. Thanks in advance.

Stephen came across your page when googled the question ‘Whatsthe best Bible for a 17 year old boy. I have a son with some minorspecial needs that I saw for the first time in years yesterday(21 Sep 2012). Who is begging me for a Bible and I could not think of one to get him. Now I reccon that the NLT may be a good starter one as I’ve found this version easy to underestand and follow. But would get one that has a Concordance and Dictionary etc. as my son is an avid reader He says he loves to read Shakespere in tbe olde English, though. So would a KJV/NKJV be better?All I want is to give him a Bible that he can enjoy reading and learning from the rest of his life, or until he decides that he would like to have a different version. But your site has certainly given me somethings to mull over whils I decide. SHALOM and thank you.

If you don’t have the complete word of God. Then you are asking for trouble. Word for Word Translations for the Win. I do however own NIV but I read NASBU/JKV Cambridge edition.
If you read in scriptures we shouldn’t subtract or add to the lords word Deuteronomy 4:2/ Rev 22:19. Then you better get as close as possible to the Greek and Hebrew! Stick to word for word translations period. Therefore, according to the Lords own words why would you even consider something that is not word for word. Ignorance is the only reason, after you learn better change!
1 Pe 4:17-19
17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED,WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER? 19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. NASU

I’ve mention word for word a lot on purpose. Put on the whole armor of God! Do not be ashamed and stand up for the truth.
That being said, May the Lord Jesus Christ grace and peace be upon you.

Very helpful piece of advice to me. I have actually been wondering which bible translation to concentrate on since there are so many electronic versions. Incidentally, your comment on ESV agrees with what I read after installing the ESV from You-Version.
God bless you sir!
Pst. Abraham

Thanks for the advise in purchasing a Bible
i have found Niv version at times shallow
eg. when God tells moses to appoint joshua to succeed him because in him was Gods spirit when Niv talks of capable- the word caoable is too shallow ;